An endless churn of new music constantly buries the past, so it's the mark of a great record when you still want to spin it long after a given year's best-of lists are published. Touché Amoré's exuberant road-worn confessional, Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me, hasn't left my iPod or my psyche since last summer. And, while fans have already begun inquiring about a new full-length, the post-hardcore band's never-ending tour schedule doesn't stop until late December — for now.

Thankfully, Touché Amoré is about to release a new split 7" record, which also features as its B-side the first new recordings in nine years from Kansas City emo band The Casket Lottery. The bands each contribute one original song (Touché Amoré's "Whale Belly" premieres here) and a cover, with Touché Amoré taking on The Replacements' "Unsatisfied" and The Casket Lottery doing Beach House's "Myth."

Touché Amoré is an extremely economical hardcore band, and even at two minutes, "Whale Belly" is one of its longer tracks. Riffs don't last much longer than 20 seconds, but the quintet has become so adept at organic transitions that it plays out like a quick-cut Quentin Tarantino scene for the pit. "Whale Belly," in particular, is bulletproof in its construction, with Jeremy Bolm's vocals hitting hard and showing more scars than before, as the band takes on a Fugazi-like punk-rock push-and-pull.

All Songs Considered is home to the best new music and a community of fans always ready to share their opinions on the current music scene. You can contact hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton (and the team) directly via our contact form. To submit your music, just email us a link to your favorite original song. (Please do not attach mp3s to emails).